Listed throughout the history books are countless names of warriors, philosophers and leaders, and one thing these names have in common is that they mainly belong to men. Realizing this, one might believe that males are the only gender responsible for change and the implementation of society’s structure, but this is only half of the story. These men do not work alone; they are backed by strong and influential forces: the women in their lives. It seems that the role of women as portrayed throughout Greek, Roman, and Christian history and literature has been to be seen and not heard. However, many clues have been left to allow the extrapolation that woman played a strong role in defining the events that took place in these cultures; their opinions were simply put into action by their male counterparts.
“The husband is head of the wife," Paul explained, "as Christ is head of the church," (Bristow). This statement encompasses the cultural ideals of the late Greeks, Christians and Romans. But every head needs a neck to turn it, which is exactly what the women of the time were responsible for. Greek women were responsible for managing the household, and making decisions that would affect the family’s finances and reputation, two very important aspects determining success in the culture. It was a rare case for a woman to have any sort of public leadership, however (Hsia 98). One example of a woman who broke this norm was Apasia, Pericles’ lover. She had a great influence on the Athenian leader as she stepped up as his equal and was allowed to have an extensive public life with influence from the great minds of the day. This abnormal equality between man and his lover was so unusual that it was fraught with suspicions and rumors, as the people did not know what to think. The historian Xenophon explained that a marriage should bring together the natures of both husband and wife; with the wife making contributions to family life, discussing her ideas privately, while the husband brings the family’s concerns to the forefront politically (101).
Christianity as well did not allow for women to possess leadership roles after the early years. Women were, however, allowed to become nuns to display their devotion to god. In this way they held a position that influenced the image of the church and the decisions of the clergymen from behind the scenes. Some women were able to completely break free of their mold and were able to speak their mind publicly. These women were the hetaira, women of great wealth such as Elpinike, or rare cases such as Aspasia, who were allowed to use their speech outright in the presence of men (99-102).
Oedipus’ wife Jocasta had a great deal of influence on her husband’s beliefs. Jocasta did not believe in fate and so she fueled Oedipus’ hubris with her words, helping him to believe that he really was above the Gods. This hubris eventually brought about his downfall. In this case the woman behind the scenes helped bring about the fall of a kingdom, which is a rather powerful influence. Jocasta lulls Oedipus into false security by saying, “listen to me and learn some peace of mind: no skill in the world, nothing human can penetrate the future” (780-2). Women’s words have had great influence on their man’s beliefs.
Comic drama and oratory in the fourth-century B.C.E. gave hints to women’s underlying power (Hsia 103). As seen in Lysistrata the women are responsible for bringing about peace after a long time of war which the men were not resolving. By using their “glamour” and embarking on a sex strike the women are able to control the decisions of their husbands and therefore the fate of the states. After Myrrhine denies her husband, leaving him with the message to vote for peace, he comments, “I’ll give it serious consideration” (Aristophanes 746). Women played a very powerful role in the decisions of their husbands; there is no telling how often this technique may have been used by wives to get their opinions heard. As Lysistrata put it, “we have some good advice, and if you shut up, as we used to, we can put you back on the right track” (Aristophanes 736).
A good example of a character that uses men to get her back on the right track is Medea. When abandoned by her husband, Jason, she manipulates him by using her children as a way to get him to trust her again. When he does, she uses him as a shuttle to get the poisoned dress to the Princess of Corinth. He admits he is under her power and remarks, “I have come at your request…I will listen To what new thing you want, woman” (Euripides 843-845). Medea is able to complete her goal and make her desires clear by using Jason as a vessel for her actions. Medea laments the role of women when she cries, “We women are the most unfortunate of creatures. …it is requited for us to buy a husband and take for our bodies A master;…nor can she say no to her marriage…she needs prophetic power…to manage him who shares her bed with her” (Euripides 228-38). Euripides highlights how the roles of women are unpleasant and seem to hold no power, however Medea is aware that she is able to “manage” Jason. It would be impossible for wives to manage their husbands without having their own ideas and opinions coming through. Medea does not use her sex appeal in this story, but instead uses cunning manipulation to get Jason to do exactly what she wants. Women are portrayed as being capable of many different methods of getting their feelings across to manage their men and reach their goals.
In Roman literature, such as in The Aeneid, this same message of woman’s influence over men is portrayed. In a crucial battle scene, Juturna, sister of one of the main warriors, convinces the Italian army to strike. This event is the kick-off step determining the history of the Romans, who are said to come into power after Turnus’ death (Virgil). Once again it is obvious that women have a very influential role on the men around them. They are able to use convincing speech to bring about what they feel is right. The Goddess Venus wishes to see Aeneas safe in battle and convinces her husband to create a new set of armor for him, bringing about his success by using Vulcan to get what she had wanted. Juno, too, made a deal with Jupiter as she wished to see the Latin culture remain autonomous. And so she is able to convince Jupiter into allowing it to be so. Her opinions on the way things should be are set into action by Jupiter when she dictates, “Never command the land’s own Latin folk…Dialect or dress. Let Latium be” (Virgil 12:48-51). Again woman controls the action of men.
It is evident that there is a strong and undeniable pulse of women that demonstrated their power under the mask of their men throughout the Greek, Roman and Christian history. Through their household and literature roles numerous examples are given of how women, both goddess and mortal, can use sex, speech and even their own children to get what they want. The women never put their own opinions into action but use manipulation to get their husbands to do all of the evident work, like ending the war, causing the death of royalty, and maintaining the Latin culture. It is a shame that throughout history they have not gotten the recognition that they deserve. It could be assumed that many of the historical changes brought about by male leaders were likely in some part due to their wives’ influence. The evidence is in the history and literature that the female race is clearly not so silent after all.
